This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art, which may be related to various aspects of the present invention that are described below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Video display capabilities, and in particular three-dimensional (3-D) and multi-view display capabilities, continue to evolve. In recent years the technology has moved from primarily being used in mass audience presentations, such as movie theaters, to being provided to the home via delivery systems such as broadband or broadcast communications systems or using media such as Blu_ray 3-D. While there are only a limited number of standards used in movie theatres, there have been numerous attempts to get 3-D into the home, and therefore the standards for 3-D content delivery and display in the home still remain unclear. Independent of the display technology, existing 3-D content may be provided in a number of signal formats, including but not limited to anaglyph (e.g. red/blue or colorcode) for simulating 3-D on 2-dimensional (2-D) displays, checkerboard (typically used for digital light projector (DLP) displays), side by side, over/under, line interleaved, temporally interleaved, quincunx, Multiview Video Coding (MVC), and interleaved progressive frames at 48 frames per second (fps) (e.g. 2×24 fps) or 60 fps (e.g. 2×30 fps), as well as Sensio and other proprietary formats.
These signal formats represent only several of the current possibilities; with more expected to emerge as the technology evolves. In addition to the various signal formats introduced, several display types exist, including but not limited to cathode ray tube (CRT), DLP, Plasma, liquid crystal display (LCD), organic light emitting diode (OLED), or similar display and may include special lens systems including, for instance, a lenticular lens display. Still further, several display modes, or technologies, exist, for the user to experience a 3-D or multi-view image, including but not limited to shutter glasses, polarized lens glasses, colorized lens glasses for anaglyph 3-D content, alternating display polarization, and auto-stereoscopic display technology. As standards for 3-D in the home continue to emerge, many existing display devices will be incapable of displaying any modern 3-D content. The presence of all of the signal formats, modes, displays, and technologies, as well as the various combinations, represents a very difficult user experience for the home viewer.
Mechanisms to convert the input format of a video signal to match the type of display and the type of format are needed to improve the operation of 3-D in the home. Some modern video processing systems, such as the 9800 system from NVidia, address some of the conversion issues. However, conversion systems remain very limited and do not appear to address any issues related to analyzing the content, the display type, and the mode to determine the optimal display experience for the user. In many other cases, the video processor system simply acts largely as a pass-through for the 3-D formatted signal content, and relies on the processing and operations of the display.
In addition, some users who own one of the 3-D capable displays may wish to view content received in a more conventional 2-D format on the 3-D display. Other viewers may have only a conventional 2-D display, but may wish to view the 3-D content in a best possible 3-D display mode. Still further, as multi-view signal formats and displays emerge, no conversion paths exist for converting 2-D or 3-D content to multi-view content and vice versa. Today, no solutions exist that address the optimal operation of the display device and mode or technology to allow the user greater content display flexibility. Therefore there is a need for a system and method to provide a seamless user friendly operation to allow display devices to display advanced video content, including 2-D, 3-D, or multi-view content, in the best manner possible.